Pride before a fall

By DAVID HILL

I spent an hour in Paraguay once. There, I had to mention that. We'd looped out of Brazil into Paraguay to see the gigantic Itaipu Dam - higher than a 50-storey building, 7km wide, and turbine tunnels so vast that the Brazil Symphony Orchestra gave a concert inside one (on a non-generating day).

Another 20km by coach from the dam, back into Brazil, and we were face to face with something even more memorable: the Iguacu Falls.

The Iguacu/Iguazu/Iguassu Falls (spelling varies from country to country) are on Brazil's subtropical, jungle-packed perimeter where the borders of Paraguay and Argentina also meet. Bridges connect the three cities of Foz do Iguacu (Brazil), Puerto Iguazu (Argentina) and Ciudad del Este (Paraguay).

Midweek, when the queues aren't too long, you can visit the falls from three nations in one morning.

The lovely Indian name of Iguacu has the pretty lame translation of Big Water, but the falls themselves are anything but lame. In 1986, Unesco recognised their special splendour and declared them a National Heritage of Mankind.

"Poor Niagara," Eleanor Roosevelt exclaimed when she saw them. It's a fair comment. At 90m high the cataracts are considerably higher than Niagara and at more than 3km from bank to bank they're almost twice as wide.

And they're not just one waterfall. The Iguacu River smashes its way down the cliff faces in more than 250 separate cascades of creamy-brown water and foam.

Upstream, 4km of rapids rage past forest-covered islands. Downstream, the river charges along a 28km gorge, cut as the Iguacu erodes its way back towards Brazil at a headlong 5m every 1000 years.

Seeing the Iguacu Falls is like confronting a cliff of water stretching from Queen St to Mt Eden. In dry years, the falls sometimes shrink to a mere 150 cataracts, but locals say the noise goes on almost undiminished.

From bridges above the falls, you watch the caramel-coloured river storm past the little midstream islands. It seems to pause for a second, then swoops towards the lip, churning into foam as it goes.

From below, you stare up at avalanches of water bellowing down, battering at the ground till the boardwalks quiver and thrum. People shout into their neighbours' ears. Whiteouts of spray swirl on the wind. A rainbow suddenly arcs across the 3km width of water-wall.

At night, parts of the falls are floodlit, often in pastel colours.

Flights from nearly every major South American city arrive at Foz do Iguacu daily. Once you're there, you need to spend at least two days visiting the falls, one day from the Brazilian side and one day from the Argentinian side.

The Brazilian approach gives better panoramas and glorious sunset effects, while the Argentinian side lets you see more of the cataracts, including the great plunge of La Garganta del Diablo - The Devil's Throat, where 14 separate falls combine into one huge torrent.

It's a good idea to go in the morning when it's not too hot and the light is best for photography. Sturdy, well-fenced boardwalks and bridges let you wander above the hurtling water. Carry a plastic bag for your camera, and maybe a bigger plastic bag for yourself. The spray drifts a long, long way.

On the Brazilian side, an elevator ($1) takes you from the bottom of the thundering wall of water up to the top. Guided tours (about $40) start from both sides and include all the best photo sites. Shoes with good soles are advisable because the boardwalks and tracks are usually wet and sometimes slippery. Boats will take you to the foot of the falls for about $50.

There may also be helicopter trips from the Brazilian side, costing around $120. I say "may", because the chopper flights have caused tension in recent years, with Argentinian authorities saying they endanger birds. Some rumours suggest that helicopter access depends partly on who won the last Brazil-Argentina soccer game.

The jungle packing the sides of the Iguacu Falls is crammed with contrasts: orchids grow next to pine trees, bamboos and palms jostle for room, mosses and begonias share the same bank.

Then there's the fauna. The jaguars and pumas tend to stay hidden but gaudy parrots explode out of the trees around you. Toucans arrayed in scarlet, azure and gold clatter their improbable scoops of beaks as they watch. Eagles sail above.

More than 500 types of tropical butterflies drift and glide in orange or emerald storms through the mist and its shifting rainbows.

Make your way down to the falls early in the morning from your hotel and you'll see other jungle life. Whole families of furry, possum-like creatures are plodding their way home across the paths after a hard night's scavenging. They're coatimundi, all big soft eyes and big sharp claws. Go "awww", but don't go too near.

There are hotels in abundance on both sides of the Iguacu Falls, and nearly all will organise taxis or mini-buses to take you to the falls, which in some cases may be only five minutes' stroll away.

Many of the hotels were built in the grand days of early 20th-century tourism and feature elaborate plaster ceilings and varnished woodwork that the jungle climate hasn't always treated kindly.

The lobby at the hotel where we stayed had a stuffed jaguar carrying something very dead in its mouth - maybe a sort of warning to Stay On The Tracks.

After two days and nights surrounded by the thunder and crash of Iguacu's torrents, it took us a while to work out what what was strange about our coach as we finally drove away.

Then we realised what it was - we were still shouting to be heard above the now-vanished falls.


How to get there: Aerolineas Argentinas flies three times weekly from Sydney-Auckland-Buenos Aires-Rio de Janeiro. Air NZ also flies to Rio via Tahiti and Santiago. Return fares (early 2004 prices) start from around $NZ2600.

A one-way air fare Rio-Foz do Iguacu is about $NZ350. Buses also connect Foz do Iguaco with major towns in Brazil and Argentina.

Accommodation: Hotels start at approx $NZ40. Prices rise during the peak tourist months of January-February and July.

Hill Man Wonders gives useful general details about the Falls.

Hotels and Inns is a good starting site for accommodation details.